Steve James volunteered for the Big Brother program in the 1980's and was a mentor for Stevie Fielding who was a troubled 11-year-old. After getting a job in another town, Steve lost contact with Stevie until 1995 when Steve became a documentary filmmaker. Steve decided to find Stevie and make a documentary about how his life has changed since they were last together. Hoping to find Stevie in a better position than when he left, instead Steve found that Stevie's life had taken a series of wrong turns. Shortly after filming began, Stevie was charged with an unthinkable crime and faced serious jail time.
I love documentaries and this is a good one. The amount of access the film crews were granted by Stevie an his family meant that most of the revelations and reactions regarding his life, battles with his mom, relationship with his fiance, criminal charges and subsequent trial were all caught on tape. This was essentially a 2+ hour intervention with appearances by folks from all stages of Stevie's life trying to steer him in the right direction. It was fascinating to see Stevie's demeanor change from guarded and tough at home to relaxed and happy when he was visiting folks away from the home. It was almost like he just needed to get away from home to turn his life around; but would that place have to be a prison cell?
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Stephen Dale Fielding, Steve James (Directed Hoop Dreams as well)
I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.
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